Not a Veela
by Gibsos
Summary: Life at Beauxbatons is difficult when you're not a Veela. Sort-of-prequel to Harry Hunting.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -**Wrote this to feel out a concept for a multi-chapter story about Beauxbatons students which will contain Fleur and Krum if I decide to write it. Inspired by a tumblr post on the treatment of Beauxbatons in the Potter movie verse, so I decided they were all actually secret ops.

* * *

"I'm innocent!" the shopkeeper screeched, "innocent, you goons, let me go!" He fought against the Ministry rent-a-cops who were preventing him from going back in the shop as others searched through his belongings inside. Suddenly, there was a 'bang!' and a small explosion as the 'innocent' man cursed the ground below his feet to escape the grip of the rent-a-cop.

Adelaide heard all this behind her but didn't bother looking back or slowing down. What was the fate of some British shopkeeper to her? Especially a shopkeeper who had only escaped incarceration for being a Death Eater due to a lack of evidence. She heard the muttering around her indicate that he had been caught anyway.

It appeared his luck had run out and there was finally hard evidence. Not even his friends in high places could get him out this time – really, since when was _anyone_ acquitted of a crime due to lack of evidence in the wizarding world? Downright obvious, she scoffed. At least keep your bribery discreet.

As the crowd began to stop gawking at the altercation before them Adelaide gradually became the next spectacle. Maybe wearing her casual Beauxbatons sweater in its bright blue with its large yellow logo hadn't been the best decision, she was drawing some attention.

"_Frenchie,"_ someone scoffed.

Another boy snorted and elbowed his friend, "I hear they're bigger pushovers than _Hufflepuffs."_

"Well yeah, it's a school full of French _girls._ What'd you expect?" he laughed.

The life of a Beauxbatons student when you weren't a Veela.

"Good thing none of _them_ were fighting in the last war - might've lost a _nail."_

Adelaide was amazed by how _devastatingly_ clever they were as she made a beeline to the nearest registered floo point, her purchases swayed under her arm and hit lightly against her hip.

Whenever she ventured into magical society outside of France she was reminded why she hated it; the murmuring that followed her, the stereotypes, the scoffing, constant belittlement. She knew it got to most people. Unfortunately as it turns out, misery does _not_ love company.

She had actually heard someone refer to Beauxbatons students as "kittens with tempers" before. She did _not_ think that description was cute or amusing.

All of this made it a tremendous relief when, a week later, she found herself in one of the Abraxan pulled carriages swaying and bumping ever so slightly as it made its way up to the Beauxbatons palace.

The blue-green palace – like all palaces – was designed for the comfort and view of the inhabitants, and seemed to glimmer as they pulled closer. The palace was really a perfect reflection of the people inside. Palaces were designed to be comfortable and to impress visitors; they were made to give an impression. The students and staff of Beauxbatons, too, worked to give an impression. They worked to maintain the insulting impression of the weak all-girls school whose students weren't a threat to anybody. It was not a hard impression to maintain between being women and being French.

Nearly all the students grew to find these stereotypes aggravating, though they knew they were useful and being maintained for a reason. Like all stereotypes they were fuelled by ignorance. These people knew nothing of how Beauxbatons operated.

They took more classes, they studied for more years, they included more subjects (cutting divination as a frivolous pursuit for anyone not already inherently gifted), they had private tutors for extracurricular classes or struggling students. They weren't like those ridiculous _uncultured_ schools, they appreciated arts and education. They were taught things they could actually apply to the real world – unlike most schools.

The carriage ride ended with a bump and Adelaide hopped out of the cabin leaving the eight year old newbies to scurry after her as she strode through the garden leading up to the large lapis lazuli coloured shimmering door. The different shades of blue uniforms created a strange sea, moving and rolling through the hall. There was the dark, almost navy blue of the underclassmen, the azure of the upperclassmen, and the light powder blue of the elite. Adelaide was stuck at azure; she had been told she was too clumsy on assignments. She supposed she couldn't exactly contest that after all the attention she had drawn wearing her Beauxbatons sweater in Diagon Alley, it was just a habit, wearing a Beauxbatons sweater in France inspired admiration and conversation with alumni. She could have made more of an effort to make sure the target had actually been apprehended as well…

"Adelaide!" her professor called her over into a secured classroom. "Do you have anything to report?" she prompted as Adelaide slid in closing the door behind her.

The teacher had settled down behind her desk and was looking at her with a calculating air as Adelaide went to stand in front of the desk, folding her hands behind her back and standing up straight. "The shopkeeper has been apprehended, I was able to find the evidence and plant it in a more obvious place shortly before the aurors got to the shop." Adelaide settled in to her mission report, prepared to spend the next hour hashing out details.


	2. Chapter 2

A continuation or companion to this one-shot is now posted under the name Harry Hunting. Super short excerpt so there's a point to this chapter:

* * *

The office filled with a strange smoke which spread from the site of the bomb, consuming the desks and the Aurors.

Adelaide slipped into the office, and followed the labels to the drawer containing their targets file. Shifting through the papers inside, she looked for the name of their target – Harry Potter. Perfect.

If only Madame Baudin could see her now, Adelaide would _love_ to see her try and say she wasn't focused enough as she copied Potter's file and rifled around to find the files of his known travelling companions – Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.


End file.
